Thursday, September 6, 2012

When Antonio Was Claudio

Before being repackaged as Antonio Cesaro for WWE, Claudio Castagnoli made a name for himself in the US independent wrestling scene as a tough, technical heel. You all know this is what he looks like these days...

But did you know that back in 2005, when Claudio was still wrestling for Ring Of Honor, he had long hair and sideburns and wore bright yellow tights underneath an elaborate ring costume? Check out these photos of the Swiss-born, 6 ft. 5 in, 230 pounder from back then. (Photos by Scott Finkelstein)